Major David Graham Buell, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot, died in November
1983 when his F4F Phantom jet crashed off the coast of North Carolina. An exchange officer crewman was also killed in the crash. Major Buell had been the executive officer of Marine Attack Squadron 115 that was based at the Marine Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina. His other aviation assignments included duty at MCAS Kaneohe, Hawaii. Major Buell served as an infantry Officer in Vietnam from 1969-1970, where he earned a Bronze Star with combat V.

Major Buell was born in Annapolis, Maryland. After graduating from high school in Annapolis, he attended and graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute. He was commissioned in the U. S. Marine Corps in 1969, following his graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy that year. He subsequently earned a Master's Degree in aerospace systems from the University of West Florida, achieving the Dean's List.

Survivors include his wife, Kari Buell Sprecher, their three children (Thomas C. Buell, Sarah Buell Smith and Amanda Buell Juratovic), and family relatives.